Arson attacks in Israel continue. This time in the Galilee
The land of Israel is under attack as a wave of arson set by Palestinians continues across the country. On Tuesday, a huge forest fire burned out of control near Ramot Naftali in the Galilee region. Firefighters are still working to extinguish the fire.

Second congressional Democrat staffer charged in scheme to dox Republicans amid Kavanaugh confirmation fight
Former congressional staffer in doxing case denied bail. A second aide to New Hampshire Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan is facing federal charges stemming from a scheme to publicly post the personal information of several Republican politicians amid the contentious confirmation hearings for now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The aide, Samantha Deforest Davis, was a staff assistant in Hassan’s office from August 2017 until last December. She was fired after Capitol Police discovered her possible involvement in the so-called “doxing” effort.

Ex-France president Sarkozy to face trial on charges of corruption, influence-peddling
Nicolas Sarkozy, the former president of France, will stand trial on charges of corruption and influence peddling after the country’s highest court rejected his final appeal Tuesday. FRANCE 24 reported that Sarkozy, his lawyer Thierry Herzog, and former judge Gilbert Azibert face charges stemming from allegations that Sarkozy accepted illicit payments from L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt during his successful 2007 presidential campaign.

Four charged with shooting down MH17 plane
Four men have been charged with murder over the downing of a Malaysia Airlines jet in eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 passengers and crew. Dutch investigators have accused three Russians, Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko of involvement. Flight MH17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over conflict-hit Ukraine, near the Russian border. A court case is scheduled to begin in the Netherlands on 9 March, 2020. International arrest warrants have been issued for the four men.

It’s Time for America to Break with Beijing
Xi Jinping has rejected the concept of comparative advantage, the very notion underpinning the system of international commerce. Why should America sign a trade agreement with a country that does not believe in trade?

Iran: Crowd cheers as woman beaten for not wearing hijab
A video by an Iranian activist shows a crowd in the Islamic Republic cheering as a women was dragged across a road and beaten. Her crime, according to the activist, Masih Alinejad, was dancing and not wearing the Islamic hijab required by law for any female older than 13, “Meanwhile, Leftist feminists in the West are donning the hijab, the symbol of oppression against which these Iranian women are rebelling,

U.S. drone shot down by Iranian surface-to-air missile, official confirms
A US official confirmed Thursday morning that a US military drone was shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards claimed earlier that they shot down a U.S. “spy” drone in the southern province of Hormozgan, which is on the Gulf, the Guards’ news website Sepah News said.

American tourist attacked in Berlin after saying he was Jewish
A 23-year-old American said he was hit in the face in Berlin after telling a group harassing him that he was Jewish. The man, described as a tourist, suffered a black eye in the incident, which he reported via a police website, according to news reports. Police are investigating the Tuesday night attack as an anti-Semitic crime.

Xi Jinping visits N Korea to boost China’s ties with Kim
China’s President Xi Jinping is in North Korea for a meeting with Kim Jong-un, in the first Chinese state visit to the North since 2005. The two, who have met in China four times, are expected to discuss the stalled talks over the North’s nuclear programme as well as economic issues. China is hugely important to North Korea, as its main trading partner.

Irish border: UK expert panel to advise on post-Brexit arrangements
The UK government has appointed a panel of experts to advise on alternative arrangements for the Irish border after Brexit. Alternative arrangements refers to ways of maintaining a soft border without close regulatory alignment between the UK and the EU. It is normally used to refer to technical or technological solutions.

Saudi arms sales: Court of Appeal demands review
Campaigners have won a legal challenge at the Court of Appeal over the UK government’s decision to allow arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) argued the decision to continue to license military equipment for export to the Gulf state was unlawful. It said there was a clear risk the arms might be used in a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Amazon drones could be used to spy on your home and spot intruders, patent reveals
Amazon wants to use its network of delivery drones to keep watch over customers’ houses by forming a flying Neighbourhood Watch scheme. The company has patented a system that it calls “surveillance as a service” which would see its network of delivery drones filming Amazon customers’ homes from the skies while on their way to delivering packages.

DHS to Move Biometric Data on Hundreds of Millions of People to Amazon Cloud
The Homeland Security Department is looking to upgrade the software it uses to analyze biometric data on hundreds of millions of people around the globe, and it plans to store that information in Amazon’s cloud. The agency’s Office of Biometric Identification Management will replace its legacy biometric analysis platform…IDENT, with a new, more robust system hosted by Amazon Web Services, according to a request for information released Monday.

IDF holds largest drill in years to prepare for future Hezbollah war
Israel wrapped up its largest military drill in years on Wednesday, with thousands of troops from the army, navy and air force simulating a future war with the militant Lebanese Hezbollah group amid fears that Iran would draw its Shiite proxy into the recent growing tensions in the Persian Gulf. The Israeli military said the…exercise had been planned long in advance and focused on the immersion of all branches against threats emanating from Israel’s north.

China, U.S. to resume trade talks but China says demands must be met
Top Chinese and U.S. officials will resume trade talks in accordance with the wishes of their leaders, but China hopes the United States will create the necessary conditions for dialogue, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Thursday. Negotiations to reach a broad trade deal broke down last month after U.S. officials accused China of backing away from previously agreed commitments.

China: The Perfect High-Tech Totalitarian State
China is in the process of fulfilling what Stalin, Hitler and Mao could only dream about: The flawless totalitarian state, powered by digital technology… where the individual has nowhere to flee from the all-seeing eye of the Communist state.

The Best Predictor of What Is Coming Is On Your Television
In the remake of the movie, 1984, I remember being surprised when I found out that the invading force in the movie was changed from Chinese to North Korean. However, when I learned that the Chinese are largely in control of Hollywood, I completely understood the term predictive programming and its subsequent use for psychological manipulation.